New Delhi, June 15 (IANS): Eighty-five percent of Delhi's youth admit they have come across abuse of the elderly though a whopping 92 percent said they are not willing to intervene, according to a survey by HelpAge India released on the 'World Elder Abuse Awareness Day' on Monday.
The nationwide report titled "Elder Abuse - The Indian Youth Speaks Out" was conducted in 20 middle and upper middle localities of 10 cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru etc. among young working adults between the age of 25 and 45 years, living with at least one elderly parent.
"Delhi where 85 percent of the youth admit elder abuse exists, yet 92 percent say that they won't act to prevent it," said Manjira Khurana, country head, advocacy and communications, HelpAge India.
Delhi is followed by Chennai (64 percent) and Hyderabad (45 percent).
Nationally, 73 percent of the youth admit that elder abuse exists and nearly 60 percent of them are willing to take direct action by talking to the abuser and asking them to change their behaviour while encouraging the victim to fight back.
However, 42 percent feel that the problem is prevalent in all developing societies, including India.
Delhi also beats the national average in using abusive language and talking rudely to an elder with 77 percent youth stating it to be the most common form of abuse while 23 percent feel physical violence was the next most common form of abuse, said the report.
Over 72 percent of the youth feel that the topmost form of abuse is "using abusive language and talking rudely to an elder" while 43 percent feel giving the elders "silent treatment, isolation and emotional abuse", is the another form of abuse.
The youth feel that staying in joint families is the best solution to prevent the problem.
"Close to 87 percent of the respondents support the idea of joint families over nuclear families to curtail elderly abuse," said the survey.
HelpAge India has been conducting annual multi-city surveys over the last five years on the abuse of the elderly in India.